This invention relates to leveling of vehicles, and in particular to leveling of a vehicle, such as a recreational vehicle, when the vehicle is in a stationary location in order to stabilize the vehicle in a particular orientation.
Recreational vehicles are typically transportable from one location to another. There are many different types of recreational vehicles, including self-contained vehicles that include an engine and driver's location, and vehicles that are towed behind a powered vehicle. In the latter case, towed vehicles are typically either attached to a bumper hitch, or attached to a bed hitch, with the latter being known as a fifth wheel vehicle.
No matter the type of the recreational vehicle, when the vehicle is parked and to be used in a stationary location, preferably the vehicle is stabilized so that it is not subject to the bounce and sway as it is being used. To this end, many types of leveling and stabilizing can be used, and the present invention is directed to leveling and stabilizing by means of extendable leveling jacks.
Leveling jacks are of three basic configurations. The first is a manually-operated jack, where the user extends or retracts the jack by means of a hand crank or the like. The second is an electrically-actuated jack, where the user employs an electric pump to extend or retract the jack. The third is a hydraulic jack, where fluid pressure from a hydraulic pump is used to extend or raise a jack.